


An Encounter with Death

by Siver



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Spoilers, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 16:04:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8673760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siver/pseuds/Siver
Summary: Ghost Trick meets Discworld. Or rather Discworld Death comes to Ghost Trick verse when Sissel goes to avert a friend's death. A post game fic so of course spoiler warnings apply.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was an idea that hit me during that wonderful time between midnight and 1am when there's little to be done about it barring actually getting back up to write it, but I waited. 
> 
> Writing anything Discworld related is scary. I do not feel worthy.
> 
> But it was fun and fun to think about as if Death's job hasn't already gotten more complicated than it ought to be. Now he has a time traveling ghost cat to contend with albeit in another world.
> 
> There is also a throwback to a scene in Thud!
> 
> (Now I just need a picture of Death and Sissel since we know of Death's love of cats.)

No no no. It happened so fast. They were in pursuit of a criminal and were scoping out the area. Then their target appeared catching them both off guard and without a word shot immediately. Sissel could only watch in horror as Jowd jerked back then fell.

The shooter immediately turned and fled.

Sissel darted out from the nook he’d been investigating and ran to Jowd only to come up short face to face with a dark robe.

He looked up. And further up to see a skull staring down at him. The sockets were lit with a blue glow. A skeleton. A skeleton in a dark robe carrying some kind of … of pole with a blade.

“What … who are you?” The question burst in his mind but without thinking came out in a spluttered meow.

The blue glows winked out then flared back as though blinking. ‘Who are you?’ is not a question a seven foot tall skeleton wearing black robes and wielding a scythe generally gets. The answer tends to be obvious.

I AM DEATH.

Sissel flickered into the ghost world. There was Jowd’s core flickering and there was Death standing out even more starkly in the ghost world.

“Death?”

ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION? Death prompted.

Sissel thought for a moment. There had been pictures of a being like this, hadn’t there? Yes that’s right. He hadn’t given it much thought. Humans seemed to have so many ideas. He’d seen enough dead bodies with a lack of robed skeletons to assume that Death was just another made up human thing. Clearly that wasn’t the case.

And if this was he, the … what was it, right, the Grim Reaper then …

“Wait, doesn’t that mean you’re here to collect…?”

YES.

“But you can’t! I’m going to save him!”

AS WELL.

Death reached into his robes and pulled out a heavy looking hourglass. There was a sigh like wind passing through a crypt door.

IT USED TO BE SO SIMPLE. NOW THEY’VE DECIDED THERE ARE TROUSERS OF TIME AND THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE. MULTIPLE UNIVERSES AND ENDLESS FATES.

QUANTUM. He added with a certain derisiveness.

“And time travel?” Sissel asked curious in spite of himself though not understanding any of what Death just said.

Death waved a hand dismissively. TIME IS MEANINGLESS.

There was suddenly a chair and Death was sitting. IT ALL PLAYS SILLY BUGGERS WITH MY SCHEDULE I CAN TELL YOU THAT MUCH. DO GO ON. I BROUGHT A BOOK.

Sissel wavered uncertainly for a moment, but he had a friend to save. He jumped to Jowd’s core and immediately dove back to the four previous minutes.

Now to see what he had to work with. He hopped to the nearest object and was about to make another hop when he stopped dead mid tether.

There was Death still in the exact same spot, flipping through a book.

“You’re here too?”

I EXIST IN ALL TIMES. He turned another page. I’VE BEEN TOLD HUMANS FIND THE PLEASURE IN STAYING DELIBERATELY IGNORANT. I CAN’T SAY I UNDERSTAND IT, BUT ONE MUST PERSEVERE.

Sissel felt like he understood even less. However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on a large skeleton puzzling over a book. He turned his attention back to the task at hand.

It turned out to be one of the simpler deaths to reverse.

Knock a trash can lid in the right direction to catch Jowd’s attention and have him already looking in the right direction to catch the gunman coming out.

Distract the gunman with another noise to buy a few more seconds and let Jowd shift into a better position.

And finally flit up to a flower pot sitting out on a fire escape and knock it off on to the criminal’s head knocking him out.

Then watch as Jowd ran forward, took away the man’s gun, checked him over and handcuffed him.

Fate averted. Time to return to the present …

Where Death still remained now standing.

Sissel returned to his body and felt his hackles rise. “I saved him! Why are you still here?”

I GO WHEREVER THE DEAD ARE.

The thought would’ve made him go cold if he wasn’t already. “You’re not here to collect me, are you? I’m not going anywhere.”

YOU WISH TO REMAIN?

“Yes!”

Death bent and a bony finger scratched behind Sissel’s ears.

THAT IS OF COURSE YOUR DECISION.

And then he was gone leaving Sissel alone in bafflement wondering if this was going to become a common occurrence whenever he went to save a life.


End file.
